This document discusses news item texts. It defines a news item text as informing readers about newsworthy or important events of the day. The purpose of a news item text is to inform readers, listeners or viewers about current events. A news item text generally has three parts: recounting a newsworthy event, providing background information, and including comments from people involved in or knowledgeable about the event. Language features of news item texts include focusing on circumstances, using action verbs, and providing short, telegraphic information in headlines. An example news item text is provided to illustrate the generic structure.